For UFC 145's Anthony Njokuani, it's win streak or bust

After a split-decision loss to wrestling specialist Danny Castillo in his most recent fight, Anthony Njokuani is undoubtedly happy to be facing a striker such as John Makdessi.

That’s even if he couldn’t muster much excitement as he spoke to MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) while cutting weight.

“He’s a very exciting fighter, and to tell you the truth, he has really good standup,” Njokuani said. “Both of our styles are going to make a really good matchup.”

Njokuani (14-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) vs. Makdessi (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is part of an FX-televised preliminary card that follows Facebook prelims and precedes the pay-per-view main card. The event takes place Saturday at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

The matchup was originally scheduled for March 24, when Saturday’s show originally was targeted for Canadian Makdessi’s backyard at Montreal’s Bell Centre in Canada.

Exhausted or not, Njokuani’s compliment isn’t for nothing. As a former pro muay Thai fighter, he’s seen plenty of standup experts during his time in fighting, and in the cage, he’s considered a cut above others with his background.

Njokuani even dishes out nuggets of standup wisdom on his official Twitter (@anthonynjoku) account, though he admits he saves the good stuff for himself.

But while his striking prowess is likely what’s kept him employed, it’s also what makes him a work-in-progress in the UFC. As with Castillo, Njokuani has consistently fallen short to superior grapplers (though a few strikers such as Maciej Jewtuszko and Edson Barboza have bested him, too).

Makdessi, though, likes to keep the fight standing. That narrows the danger to getting caught with a a punch or kick, which isn’t out of the realm of possibility for Njokuani.

Just ask Kyle Watson, who caught a spinning backfist that put him out cold at UFC 129.

“I fought a lot of people like him back in the past when I was in the muay Thai,” Njokuani said. “So I’ve seen his style multiple times, and it’s nothing new to me.”

On the other hand, the style matchup also broadens the possibility of a bonus check. With less of a chance the fight could turn into a grinding grapple-fest, the odds increase that one of them will deliver a knockout. Both would prefer that job, of course.

Njokuani is 1-2 in the UFC, too, so a knockout is job security. The lightweight division is stacked, and he’s already met what many believe to be a future title challenger in Barboza. Makdessi could be the start of one of those four-fight win streaks that gets a fighter to the top.

“Getting to that point, that’s where a lot of us guys want to be at, and that’s where I want to be at,” he said. “This year, I want to continue on a win streak, and this fight will be the beginning of it.”

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

From Our Partners

The Latest

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.